Who Is My Father?
by Random007
Summary: Hi. My name is Alisa, Alisa Rushman. My mum says her name is Natalie but nowadays I have no idea what's true and what's not. I have no idea who my father is, where I'm from or anything about me at all.
1. Chapter 1

Who is my father?

Chapter One

Hi. My name is Alisa, Alisa Rushman. My mum says her name is Natalie but nowadays I have no idea what's true and what's not. I have no idea who my father is, where I'm from or anything about me at all.

I used to trust my mum's judgement in everything but, last month our house was broken into and let's just say she pulled some pretty impressive moves to knock out five men without a weapon. The next day we moved. Then she tried to teach me self-defence. "Why?" I had asked her, "You're good enough, why can't you protect me?" And she replied "I'm going to die one day and people are already trying to get you. Did you think that thing yesterday was unplanned? Alisa, I have to keep you safe." She then pinned me in less than five seconds. And proceeded to teach me a few moves so it took ten seconds. A month later and it still only takes thirty seconds, only that because I know some of her tricks. I don't think I would stand 10 seconds against a real attacker. "Again!" Mum says bringing me back to the present. My mind is off and she pins me more quickly than usual. "Come on Alisa, you're meant to be the daughter of two master assassins," she mutters, something she always does, but I've never heard it before. "Wait, what?" I say, kinda confused. I think this is the first she's ever let on about my father, and the most about herself. "Nothing, Alisa. You can go chill out for a bit now." She dismisses me. During my break I go up to my room, wondering why I didn't do this before. I go onto Wikipedia and type in 'Natalie Rushman' It comes up with a picture of her but with red hair, she must have dyed it brown before I was born. It says that the picture is 12 years old but my mother has not aged a day. However, when I look at the title it says 'Black Widow (Natalia Romanova)' I read the entire text and the last sentence says 'It is rumoured that Natasha, which she was known as too the Avengers, had a relationship with Clint Barton, a fellow Avenger.' That says it was updated last week. Straight away I type 'Clint Barton' and it comes up with 'Hawkeye (Clint Barton)' In the picture shown he has brown hair, the same shade as mine, blue eyes just like mine and with one look I can assure you he is my father. "Alisa?" Mum calls. I barely have time to close the browser, let alone delete the history. She says "Come on I have to teach you now." She means actual school teaching now, something she's been doing since she took me out of school at the age of seven.

We hardly do maths anymore because I'm just as good as her, I can write, read and speak fluently in English, French, Spannish, Russian and German. I can also write and read Latin but would make mockery speaking it. Today's lesson is history. "So what do you want to learn the history of today?" All my history and geography lessons are like this, she chooses the subject, I'll choose the topic. Lightbulb! "I want to learn about the Battle of Manhattan. My old teacher mentioned it but I left before we got on to it."

"Okay." She says, rather unsure. "Once there was a group called the Avengers, also known as Earth's mightiest heroes. They consisted of the Hulk, Captain America, a couple of master assassins, Ironman and a Demi-God named Thor. A guy named Loki, who was Thor's brother, was bringing and army of these aliens called chitauri. A secret agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. set up the Avengers persuading them to help them find this thing called a tesseract. There was a massive fight on the heli-carrier, where they were based, in which two engines broke but the Cap and Ironman got one back up again also it stayed in the air. The Hulk hulked-out a and was forced off the carrier. One of the assassins knocked out the other and removed Loki's control of him. Loki escaped and Thor was thrown off the ship. The three that were left, as one was still out cold, were persuaded with bloody Captain America cards to go to Manhattan where the fighting was about to start. A wormhole opened and the Chitauri came, all hell broke loose. The others arrived. I won't make you endure the graphics of the fight but it ended when Ton-Ironman took an explosive into the wormhole and all of them fell to the ground. I remember closing that wormhole, when Cap told me to, thinking Tony was never coming out."

"You?" I ask and she clamps a hand over her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

Who is my father?

Chapter Two

"Err, yes Ok, it was me. I used to be an assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D. I was known as the Black Widow but, Alisa, I promise I've changed. When I found out that I was pregnant with you, something that was never meant to be possible, I left. I ditched all my contacts, trackers everything. A few weeks later it said on the news I had been kidnapped and the world was sent to find me. I'd already moved to LA but then went to this small town just outside San Francisco once they'd dyed my hair. I'm sorry you had too find out like this."' Mum says to me deciding it better to be truthful.

"Why did you keep it from me?" I ask, knowing there must be a good reason.

"I didn't want you to live in fear of me."

"You're a rubbish teacher at the self-defence thing you know," she nods, "One last thing. Who is my father?"

My question is met with silence.

"Mum, who is my father?" I ask again and again am met with silence.

"Natalia-"

"NEVER CALL ME THAT." She pins me and promptly jumps off.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, I just proper pinned my daughter." She mutters pacing, "Sorry sorry, you're father was named Clint. Yes he was the other assassin." She dismisses me and I go to make dinner.

We have dinner in front of the TV and watch the news, something we don't do very often.

"...News that a third Stark Child has been born to Tony Stark and his wife Pepper." It looked from the whole story that Pepper and Tony had got two, well three now, kids called Isabella, Michael and the baby Natayla. Mum says "That last one has to be Pepper, let's just say I didn't like Stark, and he didn't get my sarcasm."

the the person says "Mrs Stark said earlier that the baby was doing well and all her aunts and uncles, that is Bruce, Betty, Jane, Thor, Steve, Clint and Natasha, are really proud and just in case you're watching this Natasha, please come back." I look at mum and say

"Are you going to to get in touch?"

"No but I might send a letter from a fake address."

"Oh Ok."

"Tomorrow I am going to start training you properly, just like I fight. Let's forget about lessons too. You're also going to learn how to shoot. Bow. Arrow. Gun." A shot comes on the TV of the whole now Avengers family. Thor and Jane have had a son too, you can see a the resemblance. I don't notice much else because mum begins to sob.

"Mum?" I ask, "what's wrong?"

"Just him, Alisa. Don't worry. Please leave me alone." she breaks out between sobs.

I go upstairs and go into my mum's room. There is a box which is always locked, but I know where the key is, mum showed me when we came here, in case she was ever taken. I unlock it hoping what I want to be inside will be there.I've never opened the box before and am surprised at what is inside it. There's a few pictures of mum and dad. A really cool phone which looks like it was run over and won't work work. I try it. It doesn't. The only thing left is a slip of paper. On it says 'Alisa email this address if I am ever taken. directorfury say your the daughter of Natasha Romanoff and she has been taken. The subject of the a message must be 0901534.' I lock up the a box leaving the paper out. I head over to the computer and get up my email. I type the message before put in the subject or contact. The message I write says,

'To Director Fury, My name is Alisa Rushman. I saw the news story today about Mr and Mrs Stark's baby, and the bit Pepper said about Natasha. I'm not supposed to be writing this now but, my mum told me this afternoon that her real name was Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton is my father. She doesn't want to get in touch with the rest of the Avengers but, I want them to know that she's still out there, because it looked as if they thought she was dead. To confirm who I say I am I can tell you how the Avengers were motivated in the battle of Manhattan, if you want. Yours, Alisa Rushman.' I quickly type in the address and subject, hoping that he will reply, return the slip back to the box and go to bed, as is is getting quite late. I hear my mum come up, hear her cry herself to sleep.

The next morning I am up really early. I make mum breakaast in bed and check up on my email. It says as reply from the Director came ten minutes after I sent mine.

'Hello Alisa,' it says, 'I trust you, I don't need proof. Please may I show the other Avengers your email? They will be quite interested. Where are you staying? (Don't worry I just want the state) I can't imagine Clint and Natasha's daughter. Can you suggest a place to meet up? Without your mother that is. Hope to see you soon! Director Fury.' I reply,

'Hi Director, Please can you not show the others, I'm not quite ready for them to know about me yet. We're in California. I'm afraid I can't meet up with you as my mum is being extra-protective at the moment and I can't say I'm off to meet a friend, as I don't have any. I would like to meet with you but I can't. Sorry, Alisa.' And when I refresh the page thirty seconds later, there's a new email which says,

'Alisa, I'm in a heli-carrier hovering above your house right this second.' The doorbell rings and mum who must have slipped past me gets it.

"Not you," She says, and he says,

"Yes me. Agent Romanoff, can I come inside, I don't like to do things on the doorstep."

"Err yes, follow me." I go into the kitchen and make it look like I was in there aall along. They sit on the two chairs, I sit on the side. "Fury," Mum says, "How did you find me?" With a half glance at me I think that he has given it all away.


	3. Chapter 3

Who is my father?

Chapter Three

"Err, we've been trying to find the Black Widow since she left. We found her around four years after she left but, something else took over and any the time we got back, she had left." She gives him a look. "Barton's given up all hope. He's like a machine now. America, Banner and Thor miss you. Stark does too but I think it's only because it makes Pepper upset. Really upset. Come back Romanoff. You were the best and the Avengers need you, Clint's got no one to watch his back and Strike Team Delta is not whole. If you just come back, show them you're alive-" Mum cuts Fury off.

"They would be tracking us forever. No I have to think about Alisa."

"Exactly. She'll want to meet her father, and you don't have to tell all of them just Clint. I can call him out for a mission and you two can have a nice long chat, maybe spar, then Alisa can come in and you can all chat together."

"No. Absolutely not."

"I think it would be a good idea, that last one." I say and mum gives me a pleading look, which I ignore.

"Are you sure Alisa?" Mum says and I reply,

"I would like to meet the man who is my father."

Now I'm sitting on the heli-carrier, I'm not so sure. We are going to S.H.I.E.L.D. base where Fury says Clint will report to his mission. "Alisa, do not be scared." Mum says quietly to me.

"I'm not." I reply. The whole rest of the journey is quiet until a mechanical voice says "We have reached our destination." We all have to jump out as it is too big to land. "Briefing room 7 Romanoff." Fury says.

"Follow me, Alisa." mum says grabbing my hand. We, well she, find briefing room 7 and she says "You got a book?" I nod and she leads me into a room to the side. Then there's a knock at the door. "See ya." I whisper and she closes the door. I don't have a book, why would I read when I could listen to their conversation?

"Tasha?..." A man who I assume is my father asks, "Tasha, are you real? Tasha, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Clint. Yes I am real. Kinda glad Fury found me now."

"Tasha, where have you been for 12 years?"

"California. Doing stuff. Where have you been?"

"The Avengers Tower. Pepper misses you too. I can't wait for you to meet the kids. All the others-"

"I'm not coming back Clint. I only agreed to meet you because- never mind."

"Why Tasha?"

"Fury Convinced me."

"Fury could never convince you of something you didn't want to do. There's something else."

"One, acct- forget I said that."

"Tasha, who is it?" I hear someone standing up

"Don't be angry. Alisa, help me." I open the the door and step in.

"Oh. My. Gosh." This man who really does look quite like me says, "Tasha is that our daughter?"

"No Clint it's our son." Mum says in her sarcastic way.

"Hi," I say, sounding cheesy, "I'm Alisa and I believe that I am your daughter. I'm twelve."

"That's why you left isn't it Tasha?" Clint says. Mum nods and leaves the room. I picture her crying and Clint says, "So, Alisa, you're our daughter. When did you find out?"

"What about? Two days ago she let it slip and then confirmed it half an hour later. I got in touch with Fury and he came to see us yesterday. We made this plan and well, here we are."

"Do YOU want to meet Pepper and the other Avengers, Jane, Betty and the Kids?"

"Yes, but not as your daughter, if that makes sense? And I'm not sure if mum's ready, I mean the Black Widow used to never show her emotions and I cannot remember her ever crying until two days ago."

"I suppose. Yes I get it but how else am I meant to get you in?"

"I don't know, maybe we should wait a week, and I can wear her down, wasn't she adamant earlier that she was never getting into any more Avengers mess?"

"I'll help you." That has got to be the most reassuring thing ever said to me. "Anyway about you Alisa, what languages has your mum taught you?" "Oh I can write, read and speak fluently in English, French, Spannish, Russian and German. I can also write and read Latin but I can't speak it."

"She taught me French, Spannish and Russian, haven't had the pleasure of German and Latin."

"They're hard."

"Aren't they all?"

"I suppose."

"Alisa, Do you like me?" This question is very forward and I'm not sure of the answer yet.

"I don't know. I think so though. You're nice. Do you like me?"

"Of course, how could I not?" Mum comes back into the room and sits the other side of me.

"Clint, do you have Peppers number? I want to call her." Clin-Dad give me a look which says 'this is progress' and passes her his phone. "No I need to call her off my phone, none of the others can know I'm with you."

"Well, copy it on to your phone then." She does and I am just close enough to hear what Pepper is saying on the other end of the line.

"Hello, this Mrs Stark, CEO of Stark industries. What would you like today?"

"Pepper it's me, sorry I missed the wedding."

"Natasha?!"

"Yes, Pepper?"

"Ohmigosh I've missed you so much, we need to talk face to face-"

"Pepper you have three kids and I am nowhere near New York, sorry Pepper no can do. I only called to tell you I'm alive."

"Pepper, who are you talking to?" A voice says on the other end of the line, no idea who but it's not Stark, I've heard his voice before on TV.

"Na-" Pepper begins to say but mum shouts,

"Pepper no! they'll all want to get in touch with me now." But the other person has finished it for her,

"Natasha?"


	4. Chapter 4

Who is my father?

Chapter four

"Oh shoot." Mum says and disconnects the phone. As Pepper calls again mum, she turns the phone off and says "Well I'm never using that again." This man opens the door and Cli-Dad says,

"James. Nat this is James, my well new handler, not too new anymore though got assigned him-"

"12 years ago," mum interrupts "I was there Clint, How are you James?"

"Good Romanoff. You gonna be back in business soon?"

"Nope, just came to see Barton."

"Well I need to use the room now- who are you? Oh I already know-" Mum's on top of him before he can finish the sentence.

"You breathe a word to anyone and you die." She growls and he knows she means it.

"I won't." He confirms and she jumps off him.

"Come on Alisa, we're going." She grabs my hand and we walk out the fire door.

"What?" Dad shouts after "You can't go. Tasha, I just got you back. At least give me your address?"

"Clint, stay or come. We're going back to California."

"No," I say dropping her hand, " You go. I'm meeting the family I should have had."

"Alisa, come, you can't see them without parental accompaniment."

"So I'm a tree?" Dad mutters.

"Clint you hardly count. You only met her today, do you know what she's allergic to?"

"Nothing, neither of us are."

"Yeah but-"

"Tasha just come with us, or we will chain you down and drag you."

"I can break chains."

"Come. Pepper, Bruce and the kids will be the only ones there. And Bruce will be in his lab so that hardly counts."

"One night only, you hear me?"

"Yep, thanks Tasha. You're gonna love the kids!" We exit the base and get in a mini jet that I assume Dad drove here, and drive into New York.

We land on a helicopter pad and exit into the tower. "What are the kids names?" Mum asks as we enter the lift and Dad replies "Isabella, that's the oldest. Michael and Leandro are the same age but. Leandro is blonde, and the new baby is Natayla." The lift door opens into what I assume is the kitchen. it's empty until a little girl who I assume is six runs in. She promptly runs out shouting, "Mummy, Uncle Clint is with some strangers in the kitchen."

"Tell them to come in to the lounge, Iz," Pepper says. The girl doesn't come back but Dad leads the way. "Natasha?" Pepper whispers as we walk into the room. She gets up, with the baby in her arms, and they hug each other for quite a long time. When they break away Pepper says, "Natasha, is that..."

"Yes I left because I was pregnant."

"With Clint's..." Mum nods "What's your name, darling?" She asks me.

"Alisa."

"Alisa, that's pretty. This is Isabella, Michael and Natayla, their mine and this is Leandro, Thor and Jane's."

"Cool" I reply. The biggest one who I believe is named Isabella says to me,

"Alisa, will you play with me?" Her voice is so sweet I can only say,

"Yes of course, Isabella?" looking up at my father for confirmation. He nods and Isabella says

"Iz is fine. Or Izzie." I nod and she drags me off to play with her hot pink building blocks.

Half an hour later, she is bored and goes off to play with the boys. The door opens and Jane walks in. "Where's Thor and Leandro?" She immediately says, getting her priorities straight. Pepper, who I have decided is a very huggy person, gets up and gives her a short hug. As they separate Pepper says, "Thor is on a mission with Steve and Tony. Leandro is playing with Michael and Iz, I think. I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow?"

"Wasn't, just finished early and wanted to get back to the boys. Sorry for landing Lee on you."

"Its part of the job description." Pepper smiles.

"Who, no, it. Are you the famous Natasha Romanoff?" Jane asks mum, finally noticing us.

"I am, I believe you are Jane?"

"Yeah. Sorry I don't have a clue who you are." She says to me. "Unless.." She looks from dad to mum.

"Yes," Dad confirms, "She is our daughter."

"Hi, I'm Jane." Jane says to me.

"Hi Jane, I'm Alisa." She hugs me and I decided that this tower is full of huggy people. Pepper's phone rings. She answers it and the loudspeaker won't turn off.

"Hi Tony, " She says, jabbing the phone, "You're supposed to be on a mission."

"Calm down. Pepper we need to have words. I got J.A.R.V.I.S. to pull up the footage of the lounge, because I want to see Pepper and why do I see Natasha Romanoff?"

Pepper exits the call and turns her phone off.

"Mum!" Leando shouts running into the room. Jane bends to pick him up and says

"Missed you too, Little Lee." She gives him a kiss on the cheek, which he rubs off. The three women feel the need for a gossip, the kids run off together which leaves me and my dad to talk, once again. My dad. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to saying that. "Have you decided yet?" He asks me.

"What about?" I answer, having no clue what he's talking about.

"Whether you like me or not?"

"Err I think so but I feel like I don't really know you."

"How can you get to know me?"

"Tell me your life story?"

"No sorry. Don't want to give you nightmares. How about I tell you when your mum an I met?"

"Ok."

"I was sent by S.H.I.L.D. to kill her. I went got her, almost got killed by Fury for bringing her on to S.H.I.E.L.D. base then we were assigned as partners. I miss being Strike Team Delta sometimes, not the killing, just the hanging out with Tasha and sometimes Phil."

"Yeah, I do too." I hadn't noticed she had joined us. Then they start kissing, more like snogging. I run out of the room and get completely lost.

A/N I probably won't be able to update next week but I will try. I have almost finished the chapter but I am going on holiday with no wifi :-(


	5. Chapter 5

Who is my father?

Chapter 5

After around half an hour of getting more and more lost, I can't take it anymore. I know it isn't, but it feels like the weight of the world is resting on my shoulders. I found my father, but what else has come out of this? I learned my mum's past, she found a few of her old friends. Now that Director guy will want her doing missions again. That's not my mum anymore, she's changed and I think it was for the better. I may be twelve, but I am not sure I'm ready for this. The world is heavy, I don't enjoy carrying it around. I can't wait to put it down. At the present, I collapse into a heap and begin to cry.

"Alisa, Alisa honey, where are you?" A voice which I think is my father's wafts down the corridor. I assume he sees the bundle of wet clothes, which is me, as he rushes down the corridor and whispers in my ear "It's gonna be ok, darling, I found you. Isn't it ironic that of all the floors you pick to get lost on, you choose mine? Come downstairs, your mum's literally tearing her hair out." I stop in my tracks, not wanting to face anyone at the present moment in time. Dad, well, he understands me, I guess this must have happened to him once before. He stops leading me to the stairwell and into a room. "This is my bedroom," he says, "I don't mind how long you stay here, just if your mother comes please let her help you, I have no idea what's wrong and unless you spill, I'm not gonna push it." He guides me to the bed.

"I just want to go home." I sob into his shoulder.

"I think you need your mum, I have no idea what to do." He replies, sounding very worried.

"No... Just can everyone leave me alone for a bit?" I ask, still sobbing.

"Ok, darling." He says and leaves. I don't know how long I do, but I sob into the pillow until sleep washes over me.

In my dream, I see myself as I look now sobbing over my mum's grave. 'To die protecting your loved ones, is not to die at all.' It says. on her dream grave. I next see myself at around 20. I am visiting her grave when a man approaches me "You are under arrest." He says to me. I am cuffed, blindfolded and gagged and when I wake, in a the dream still, I see a man who I now know as my father looking over me. "Alisa?" He asks and I nod. "I cannot believe I let you leave on that day eight years ago." He says undoing the gag and shackles. "Where is your mother?"

"..."

"Alisa tell me."

"She's...she's..."

"Alisa!"

"I'm sorry dad, please don't kill me for not trying to find you."

"ALISA!"

"She's dead. She died eight years ago. Protecting me." I spit out and even though it's a dream I feel mentally ashamed of myself.

"So you've survived since TWELVE years old by yourself and you don't once think of looking for me?"

"I did think of it. The email address for Fury didn't work anymore, mum deleted both yours and Pepper's phone numbers from both our phones before we got on the plane and plane tickets aren't exactly cheap, I was barely surviving as it was. I remember stepping back in to our house, thinking how lovely it was to be home. We walked into the kitchen and there were about fifteen, twenty men. I stood there helpless as she took down every single one of them. The last one managed to take her down too. If only I hadn't have been such a baby. If only I hadn't have wanted to go home. I blamed it on myself for years. Still do actually. I won't be surprised if you're mad at me. I found you and even if you don't want me I still love you."

"Ok, Alisa, I'm not mad at you and I love you too but what did you do to get here? This isn't S.H.I.E.L.D I'm an undercover agent here. This is a dark and dangerous place."

"I'm not sure. One moment I was visiting mum's grave, the next I'm under arrest."

"I'll be back in a tick, Ok?" It's not ok but I tell him it is. He leaves me in this plain white room, leaving me feeling vulnerable, out in the open and afraid. Like he says, he is back in a tick, but he has brought another man with him.

"She's just a child. What could she have possibly done?" Dad tells the man, in Russian. He comes and stands next to me. The other guy, looks at us, studying us.

"I'm afraid I cannot let her go. She is still the Black Widow's daughter." He says, also in Russian.

"I'm the one married to her." Dad says as he pulls a very compact bow and quiver of arrows out of his pocket. He shoots the guy who immediately dies.

"Ready to make a prison break from the bad guys darling?" He asks chucking me a gun. It's one I know, a Glock 21. I taught myself to fire one of these a while back. I think it might've been the first one I trained with actually.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I reply before we open the door and shoot everything in sight into oblivion. In my dream I'm a ruthless killer, I know how to fire weapons, know self defence. In my dream I've lived by myself for eight years. In my dream my mum is dead. I know this kind of dream. I know that if we don't stay here, this dream will become reality.


	6. Chapter 6

Who is my father?

Chapter 6

I wake to find myself drenched in sweat and a heavy pounding coming from the door. I think I must have been screaming. "Alisa if you don't open the door in five seconds I'm going to break it down to get you." Mum growls. I wait ten seconds and the door flies open. "Alisa honey, what happened to you?" Mum asks much more softly, now she sees the state I'm in. My face is tear streaked, body drenched in sweat, I know my face must be as white as a sheet. I can't tell her about the dream. I can't say I saw her dead. I hear, but only just, light footsteps approaching. They are my father's.

"Darling are you ok?" He asks me, obviously worried.

"I'm f-" I begin and both of them say loudly,

"Don't you dare say you're fine!"

"I had a bad dream, That's all."

"What happened?" Mum asks looking worried. Dreams have never scared me before.

"I can't tell you." Mum smiles at dad and leaves. They both noticed the slight emphasis on 'you'.

"Darling tell me," Dad says, "It helps I promise."

"I saw-" I break off sobbing. I try twice more, and fail both times.

"Could you write it down?" He asks and I say I'll give it a try. 'I saw mum dead.' I begin to write and he gasps in shock. 'She died just after we came back from here. I couldn't find you again.' I can't continue. "Was it one of those dreams that you know will come true if you don't change things?" He asks, sensing my reluctance to continue.

"I am never leaving here again." I say in response. He knows this kind of dream. I can tell he chose to ignore the warning, and something bad happened from it.

"Tasha," dad calls as I scrunch and rip up the paper I wrote on, before she can see it. "Alisa has something to tell you."

"What Alisa?" Mum asks softly as she quietly darts back into the room.

"I am NEVER going back to California again. And I'm not letting you e-either." I choke out, before the sobs come back.

"Ali," mum says, using the name she used for me when I was younger, "Ali it was just a dream." She rubs my back soothingly.

"It was real." I grit my teeth, determined to make sure she knows.

"I know the feeling, Tash," Dad says, "It was like what happened before Rome." Mum's face fell and I can tell she will not press the matter now. Whatever happened in Italy must have been pretty dreadful. "Have a shower and get dressed, Alisa. It should make you feel better." I do what I'm told.

Once I'm out and wearing something presentable Dad says to me "Alisa, are you ok? You are still as white as a ghost and you are burning up." He presses a hand to my forehead.

"But I'm really cold." I whine as he tries to make me take my jumper off.

"Are you hungry, darling, because I don't want you going anywhere near the kitchen or living room at the moment, Stark and Steve are down there, I can bri-"

"Wait the other Avengers are back?"

"Well, Tony and Steve are back. Bruce has come up from his lab but, Thor is still in Asgard."

"How long was I out?"

"You were asleep for six hours. After five and three quarters hours you started screaming. Steve came back about two hours in. Stark came back during your shower."

"Why did they get back at different times? What did Steve say when he heard me screaming?"

"This floor is sound proof, I only knew because I came to check on you. Stark had to go to some meeting that Pepper couldn't get to."

"Ok. Can I stay hidden up here for a few days before I meet everyone?"

"Yeah sure. I'll just go get you some food then I'll have to talk to the others." I'm not hungry but he goes and comes back two minutes later with a plate of steaming hot food. As he walks off he says, "Make sure you eat it, Alisa, It's Pepper's finest." I look at the food, and suddenly become hungry again. I eat every last morsel.

"What are they doing down there?" I ask myself. To my surprise I got an answer.

"They are deciding which movie to watch." Some Brittish voice says, "Would you like me to pull up the footage?" I am kind of worried but mostly fascinated. I breathe yes in reply. A hologram appears in front of my face, complete with sound.

"No!" Dad shouts. "I will not participate in these movie nights anymore!" He turns away and stalks out, the camera follows him and he meets mum in the lift. She says,

"Movies were never my thing either." I hear one set of angry footsteps exiting the lift, Closely followed by light, airy ones that even I need to strain my ears to hear.

"Stark. Just. Pisses. Me. Off. Way. Too. Much." Dad growls.

"He does that to me too. How you have been living here for twelve years, I have no idea." Mum responds. I open the door and they step inside. We make forced conversations for ten minutes until I am stifling yawns every other second. I am forced to go to bed. The happy couple is about to leave when I say,

"Wait. Please stay with me. What if I get bad dreams?" They both agree to stay and I'm glad they do. Especially when the dream from earlier starts off from just where it finished.

A/N I go back to school tomorrow and no, I'm not getting ready, I'm writing this. I have almost finished the next chapter, and will probably post that later today or tomorrow, hopefully that will make up for my less frequent updates (I know it won't but comprise for me). Also, 1,500 views! Thank you so much! And everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited. Please review! This a/n is going on too long. Probably see you tonight!


	7. Chapter 7

Who is my father?

Chapter Seven

We are outside a mainly colapsed building. "James, James!" He shouts into space. I then realise its into his comm.

"Coming." I faintly hear. We keep shooting until a jet comes. Dad hops on and grabs my hand. We shoot up and the James guy shouts,

"What is SHE doing here and if she is here where is Romanoff?"

"Tasha's dead." Dad says harshly.

"What? No, she's Natasha Romanoff." He replies.

"She died 8 years ago." I say equally as harshly. I think saying it twice has made it too difficult for Dad and James to stand because they both start crying. Unfortunately, James is supposed to be driving the jet. I see the New York skyline. This is my only chance. I pull the breaks on the jet half crash half land it onto the Avengers tower.

"What the-" I hear Starks voice from inside. He comes out sees me getting out the jet with a sobbing Clint and James. "Who are- Are you related to Legolas?" He asks nodding to Dad.

"Yep." I never met Stark eight years ago. I never met him at all.

"Legolas." He says, "You disappear for eight months and without a word you come back dragging, being dragged, by someone who looks like your daughter but also a bit too like Natasha for my liking, you come here sobbing and your handler is as well. What has happened Robin Hood?"

"Stark. Natasha's dead. He just found out." I say to him.

"Didn't she die twenty years ago?"

"No. You lot all thought so, but she just left. Because she was pregnant with me."

"What? The Black Widow and Hawkeye had a baby?"

"Yes. We came here eight years ago, met your kids, saw Pepper and Jane. We left got back mum died and I had to live for eight years in the wilderness by myself." Starks face is full of shock. "I was arrested and taken to the base he was monitoring. We blew it up and came here and when I told them they started bawling so I had to drive the plane. I crash landed it here and well, here we are."

"Come on down to the lounge." He says. We go down and when we exit the lift Pepper says,

"Hi Tony." Barely looking up. "Wait." She says looking up again and doing a double take "Alisa?" She comes up and gives me a hug. Still a huggy person then. "Where's Natasha?" She sees Clint crying and no Natasha in sight. "She's not well, dead is she." I give Pepper a look and say,

"I'm sorry but yes, she is." Pepper starts bawling as well.

"Alisa?" A fourteen year old Isabella comes into the room. "Alisa, you made mum cry, what did you tell her and where's your mum?"

"My mums dead. That's what I told her, Iz."

"Gosh you guys really did get to know each other didn't you?" Stark says in disbelief. "How come I didn't know?"

"You and I went on that emergency mission with Thor. It was just us three. You went to that meeting after and Thor went to Asgard. Clint started being very mysterious and then after a week or two, cried alot." Steve says, "Bruce must have been in his Lab the entire time. That's right isn't it Alisa? I think it was. But why didn't you stay?" I shrug my shoulders.

"Darling, Alisa wake up! " Dad has just gone from bawling to normal, but tears are still streaking down his face.

"Ali?" Mum's voice says, but her body is not in sight, "Ali wake up."

"But you are dead." I scream and everyone looks at me.

"Ali I'm not dead, it was just a dream." My eyes swim and I am brought back to the present. Mum sits next to me, and I say,

"I am soo soo sorry. I Promise I didn't mean it." I am sitting on dads lap, cradled like a baby. I am again drenched in sweat and my voice hurts, like I have been screaming for a long time. "Alisa, it's ok, it's not your fault. I'm sorry for bringing you into this mess. We're gonna leave tomorrow."

"No!" I scream. "I am never leaving this tower again!"

"What, even with all the-"

"That's what they're about. If we leave and go back to California, you die." I can't continue and they both know its bad. Some footsteps sound.

"What has happened Robin Hood? I thought-" I scream the loudest I can. "Barton I'm coming in." He says forcing the door open. "What the-" he says as I scream again. He seems to just be repeating lines from my dream. It is not helping. "Who are- Are you related to Legolas?" A third scream does not. Help him or me. "Shut up!" Dad shouts, "Don't say a single thing. What ever you are saying it is obviously traumatising for her. Just go away Stark."

"Not until you tell me who she is!"

"She's Alisa. She's twelve. She's mine and Clint's daughter. You happy Stark? Now leave my family ALONE!" Mum throws herself into this mess. She then proceeds to get up, probably to attack him but Stark stalks out and I cry again, this time into Dad's chest.

"What did he do?" Mum asks me softly.

"What he said, i-it was what he s-said in, in it" I say Dad rubs my back and says,

"Its ok, you never have to talk to him. Or any of the others, there is a kitchen and living area on this floor. You never even have to see any of them."

"I want to though. That way none of this can come true." I reply and Dad shoots mum a look which says, 'She's brave'. I make myself presentable and go downstairs with my parents ready to face the Avengers.


	8. Chapter 8

Who is my father?

Chapter Eight

I chicken out before we have even reached the lift.

"Alisa, you don't have to but, you can do this." Dad says.

"I can do it and I will." I reply and force myself in to the lift. Dad hits the button with an A in the middle. As the lift shoots downwards, I inspect the other buttons. There is one which has a Hawk, one a Hammer, another Captain America's shield, one with a green fist, an Iron Man mask one but the last symbol one is taped over. There is also a load of number ones. The doors fling open before I am ready.

"Natasha is up on Clint's floor-" Stark says in the other room as we come out of the lift

"Natasha?"

"Lady Natasha? Of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Natasha. So you _were_ talking to her Pepper."

"She did not and does not, want anyone to know!" That was definitely Pepper

"There's more. Clint and Natasha are both up there with-"

"Don't say it, Tony, I don't think they want anyone to know yet." That is Pepper again. Two kids sprint past us.

"Mummy, Uncle Clint, Alisa and Natasha are coming here." Leandro runs in to the room, followed by Michael.

"So that's what she's called." I stop dead in my tracks as does Dad. Mum storms on.

"Yes, it is STARK." She says and everyone says something at the same time.

"Natasha!"

"Lady Natasha, you are back!"

"Natasha. We thought that you were dead."

"Hi guys. No, Thor, I'm not back. I am going again soon. I was never meant to come here."

"WHAT!?" About six voices shouted.

"No, no you are so not going again." One person says

"Ha ha Spidey funny joke." Stark says.

"Lady Natasha, you are one of us." Another one says.

"Natasha, we just, just, got you back. It would kill all of us, especially Clint, if you left again." A further one says.

"No, Natasha. I, we, are drowning in testosterone." Pepper says.

"We sure are. Natasha, I would like you to stay but, if you want to go, I value your decision." Jane says. I decide that I like her.

"Well guys I am going no matter what but before I do there is someone who wants to meet you."

"Told you Alisa and Uncle Clint were out there." Leandro says to no one in particular.

"So guys, this is Alisa. She's mine and Clint's daughter. Ali? Can we go now?" I give my father a look which says that I'm not sure anymore. He nods in reply which means that I can do this. The questions are fortunately directed at my mum and dad so I don't do much talking. They all introduce themselves and I notice that each of them are unique. Steve's old fashioned, Tony's cocky and childlike, Thor is a God which makes him very chivalrous and Bruce is calm but I suppose he has to. be. After a while of answering stupid questions, the little kids are sent to bed as they are all yawning. I fake yawn for a bit until mum and dad get the message and take me up to dad's floor again.

"Ali, we will both be here all night so if anything bad happens to you, we will be here and at least one of us will be awake." Mum tells me but I still refuse to sleep. After a while my eyelids close but I am still awake. My parents begin to talk quietly.

"I don't think I can leave again." Mum says.

"Then don't." Dad replies.

"I have to Clint. I have to think about Alisa, she has not slept properly since we got here. And I don't want her getting in to any Avengers mess."

"Nat, you can not leave. I don't think I can survive anymore."

"Clint... It has not been easy for me either. Not at all."

"You're not the one who woke up one morning and found that the bed was empty next to you. I tried so hard to find you. The first Avengers mission after you were gone, I did not do too well and Steve made Fury give me two weeks of bereavement leave. Natasha, I missed you when you were gone, I missed you more than I could ever believe."

"I- I'm so s-sorry, Clint." My mother was crying again. "I thought it was the right thing t-to do."

"Don't cry Tash. It was the right thing to do. I know exactly why you did it. If S.H.I.E.L.D didn't sack you, they would have given her to an orphanage. I just wish you had taken me with you. I missed watching our little girl grow up."

"I-I am sorry, Clint. I promise I thought of you every single time I looked at her. You do know, Clint Barton, that even after all this time, I still love you."

"I love you too, Tasha and I thought of you every time I walked in to S.H.I.E.L.D, every time I saw any of the others, when I walked in the lift and saw your button. Natasha I thought of you all the time, I do not think that I ever did stop thinking about you. There is no way I can let you go again."

"I do not think that there is any way I can go." He kisses her, from what I can hear. I am so tired I fall asleep then. That night, I dream of being trapped in a cage with no way out. I try and try to get out but I can't. I then watch, still in the cage, myself crying with my father but no mum, still about twelve. I then realized that I am trapped, there is no way out. I can't save my mum no matter how much I change things. She is going to die. She will never see her daughter become a teenager. I scream until someone wakes me up. Once woken up? Then I scream some more.


	9. Chapter 9

Who is my father?

Chapter Nine

"Alisa? Stop screaming. I'm here, mum's here."

"Ali, I promise we can stay here as long as you like." I still can't stop screaming.

"NO!" I shout "I AM NOT TELLING EITHER OF YOU!" I then stop screaming and cry. Someone, Dad I presume, picks me up and let's me cry in to his shirt while he rubs my back.

"That does not matter, Alisa." He whispers, defiantly dad, "It's ok, sweetie, just stop crying because it makes me feel sad and I am sure your mum doesn't need two of us crying." I look in to his eyes and sort of half smile. "See, that's better." I stop crying all together. "Good girl." Dad says and I stand up.

"Go have a shower, Ali. Clint, go change your top." He laughs and pushes me towards the bathroom and goes to the dresser himself.

For several months we live in that tower and after the cage one, I have no more nightmares. I slowly forget. Mum joins the Avengers again. When all the Avengers are needed, Pepper normally looks after me, so I can play with Isabella, but we must always have the news on in the background, for Pepper, for me. At the moment though, I am in the living area of the Hawk floor. Dad's floor, mum's floor, my floor. I have my own bedroom now. J.A.R.V.I.S, the British AI, says,

"All Avengers are needed for a mission. Please come to the Avengers floor with weapons and suits etc. Thank you."

"Ali, go get some stuff ready for going to Pepper's, you can come back if you need something though." I grab my toothbrush and pyjamas and shove then in to a bag with some ofher stuff. The three of us go up to the Avengers floor where everyone is waiting. Mum, dad and the rest of the Avengers go to the roof to get on a jet leaving me with Pepper, Jane, Michael, Leandro, Natayla and Isabella.

"What do you want to do today?" I ask Iz.

"Watch a movie!" She shouts but before I can reply Pepper says,

"No, sweetie, you know mummy, Auntie Jane and Alisa have to watch the news."

"Oh, Ok. How about...we... play something outside!"

"Iz, I need to be able to watch the news..."

"Oh yeah. What do you think we should play?"

"I don't know..." I look around the room for inspiration, "How about building blocks?"

"Yeah!" Then we set about building the tallest building in the entire world of building blocks. Once it is taller than me, Pepper announces it is lunch time. She has made chicken sandwiches and I quickly wolf mine down. There is no TV in the kitchen but I stand in the doorway to the living area in complete and utter disbelief.

"Alisa? Can you move over, honey?" The others are all behind me. I robotically sit down on the sofa and stare at the TV. Pepper is just about to come in when her phone rings. The news story has changed so no one has seen what I saw, yet.

"Hi, Director, is Tony ok?" Pepper asks. He must say that he's fine because she visibly relaxes.

"Yep sure, ALISA!" Pepper says and I go. I walk down the corridor with Pepper's phone and ask,

"Hi, Fury. What do you want?"

"Alisa. Stay where you are. I'm sending Clint back right now."

"Why?" I whisper. It can not be true.

"Alisa, I'm truly sorry, your mother is dead. Stay where you are. Please can I speak to Pepper." I run back and give the phone back to Pepper.

"I-I'll be in my r-room." I choke. They all look at me and I run off to my floor and lock the door. I begin to cry but I don't stop moving. I go to my parents room and take their suitcase and put all of my stuff that can fit in to it, in it. I take a load of cash and write a note to my dad.

"Dear dad," it says, "I love you, more than you can ever imagine. I am sorry that I have gone but I have to go. I would say do not try to find me but I know you will. I love you dad, more than anyone loved their daddy before. I will miss you and never forget you. Maybe one day our paths will cross again but I hope not. Look after all the others, let them look after you, but don't show anyone this. It is the last special thing. I love you daddy. Lots and lots of love from Ali." I put it on my bedroom door, where he will look for me and go down to the tower exit. As I leave the building I say,

"J.A.R.V.I.S, please delete all footage of me in this tower."

"Done, Miss Barton, Anything else?"

"Tell my dad I said goodbye." I run and get in to a taxi and he drives to the airport. I get out, pay him and buy a ticket to California. Unfortunately, it's in an hour. I go through security and fortunately the compact bow and arrows don't show up. I take a seat in the departure lounge. That's when my phone rings. I don't pick up, when I see it is dad. The voicemail he leaves is,

"ALISA! Why have you left me? You can not leave, not now! I love you, Ali, I love you too much to let you do this. I know that you mum j-just died-d but, Ali, it is going to be hard for me to. Just come back, Ali. I know you seem much older but you are only twelve. Please come back, I love you so, so much." He ends the voicemail and I text back,

"I love you too daddy. I can't come back. Love you, Ali." I send it, turn my phone off and throw it in the bin. My flight is called and I get on the plane. The woman next to me tries to talk but I can't talk back. I begin to cry I begin to cry and she rubs my back, just like dad used to. I drift off to sleep. I dream of my dad crying and hugging my toys. That is probably what is happening at the moment. When I wake, we have just landed. I grab my bag and get out the airport. Once out, I go back to my old house. Mum played the rent for three years and it has only just been one. I sit down on my bed and cry.


	10. Chapter 10

Who is my father?

Ch for years, each day just like the next. I force myself to get up, eat and go to work. Everyday I visit the grave I made for my mum in the back garden, and the sort of remembrance place for my dad. I bought a punching bag for myself one Christmas and almost everyday beat the hell out of it in anger. I don't know what I am angry at but, I think it is myself. The day after I left it had on the news that I was missing and now I am assumed dead. Everyone has given up on me. Except maybe dad.

"Hey, Lisa." Sophie, a fellow worker in the cafe says as I come in for my shift.

"Hi, Sophie." I reply. I changed my name to Lisa Rushson when I came back, not legally but I have fake birth certificates and stuff. Sophie is the closest thing to a best friend I have.

"Whatcha doing today?" She asks as we begin cleaning tables. It's not much but not many places hire sixteen year olds, which I was when I came to work here four years ago. Lisa Rushson was twenty though.

"Nothing really. You?" I ask.

"My older brother and his family are coming over, whopee." She says with heavy sarcasm. "But his kid is nice. But they are so boring and annoying and so, so messy. You never mention your family. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, my mum left my dad when she first knew she was pregnant and never moved on. She died a few years ago."

"You are what? Twenty-four?" Lisa Rushson is so I nod. "How many is a few?"

"Four." That was just before I started working with her.

"Twenty. I suppose that is not too bad. Do you know who your dad is?"

"I think so but I don't know so I'm not going to tell you." She laughs.

"D'ya want to go out after this? I need some girl time before I face my brother."

I begin to shake my head but say, "Why not? I'll come." She thanks me and says she'll pay.

"RUSHSON, PIERCE! GET BACK TO CLEANING TABLES!" Our manager shouts as we bring some dirty plates back. We don't talk much after that.

"Have you heard? The Avengers went on a mission the other day and Hawkeye wasn't there! Again!" It's later and we're in some cafe now. Sophie is obsessed with the Avengers, especially Hawkeye. It's good because it means that I know when my dad's in trouble but also bad because my best friend is crushing on my dad.

"That's too bad. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"No but I wish I did. I wish I could meet Hawkeye." It takes all my efforts not to say that dreams can come true. She begins to talk about something else so I pay attention to that instead.

When I get home, tired from a long shift, I go in to the back garden and before I relax I go and whisper, "Mum, I miss you, Dad, I miss you. I'm sorry I left but it was for the best." Then a man jumps out from behind a plant.

"It's her!" He shouts and some others come. I don't have enough energy to take them down. "You are under arrest." He says to me. I am cuffed, blindfolded and gagged and put in a truck where I fall in to a dreamless sleep. When I wake, I see a man who I know is my father looking over me.

"Alisa?" He asks and I nod. "I cannot believe you left on that day eight years ago." He says undoing the gag and shackles.

"I am really sorry, dad. I love you though. I can't believe that it is you."

"I love you too, every day I missed you. Why did you leave, Ali?"

"..."

"Alisa tell me."

"Because... Because ..."

"Alisa!"

"I'm sorry dad, please don't kill me for going."

"ALISA!"

"When she died, I half died inside. You didn't need to see that." I almost start crying but I am tougher than that now.

"So you've survived since TWELVE years old by yourself and you don't once think of coming back once?"

"I did think of it. The email address for Fury didn't work anymore, I threw my phone away before I got on the plane and plane tickets aren't exactly cheap, I was barely surviving as it was. I walked back through the doors and cried for you and for her for ages. I blamed it on myself for years, her dying. Still do actually. I won't be surprised if you're mad at me. I found you and even if you don't want me I still love you."

"Ok, Alisa, I'm not mad at you and I love you too but what did you do to get here? This isn't S.H.I.E.L.D I'm an undercover agent here. This is a dark and dangerous place."

"I'm not sure. One moment I was visiting mum's grave, the next I'm under arrest."

"I'll be back in a tick, Ok?" It's not ok but I tell him it is. He leaves me in this plain white room, leaving me feeling vulnerable, out in the open and afraid. Like he says, he is back in a tick, but he has brought another man with him.

"She's just a child. What could she have possibly done?" Dad tells the man. He comes and stands next to me. The other guy, looks at us, studying us.

"I'm afraid I cannot let her go. She is still the Black Widow's daughter." He says.

"I'm the one married to her." Dad says as he pulls a very compact bow and quiver of arrows out of his pocket. He shoots the guy who immediately dies.

"Ready to make a prison break, Ali?" He asks chucking me a gun. It's one I know, a Glock 21. I taught myself to fire one of these a while back.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I reply before we open the door and shoot everything in sight into oblivion.

When we are outside the mainly collapsed building. "James, James!" He shouts into space. I then realise its into his comm.

"Coming." I faintly hear. We keep shooting until a jet comes. Dad hops on and grabs my hand. We shoot up and the James guy shouts,

"What is SHE doing here?"

"She was being held captive so we blew it." Dad says.

"What? No, she's Natasha Romanoff'as daughter. How did you get captured?" He replies.

"I had a long day, was In my garden and seven guys jumped out at me." I say. James looks around at me and is unfortunately driving the jet. It jerks to the left and dad manages to safely land it on the tower.

"What the-" I hear Stark's voice from inside. He comes out sees me getting out the jet with Clint and James. "Who are- Are you Legolas and Spidey's daughter? Alisa?" He asks nodding to Dad.

"Yep." Great. He remembers me.

"Legolas." He says, "You disappear for eight months and without a word you come back with your daughter who supposedly died eight years ago. What happened Robin Hood?"

"Ali is back." He whispers.

"Didn't she die eight years ago?"

"No. You lot all thought so, but she just left. I knew it. I never stopped looking."

"What? How did you know she was alive?"

"She left me a note and I just knew." Starks face is full of shock.

"I was arrested and taken to the base he was monitoring. We blew it up and came here and well, here we are."

"Come on down to the lounge." He says. We go down and when we exit the lift Pepper says,

"Hi Tony." Barely looking up. "Wait." She says looking up again and doing a double take "Alisa?" She comes up and gives me a hug. Still a huggy person then. "Honey, why did you leave?"

"I'm sorry for leaving. I just did."

"Alisa?" A fourteen year old Isabella comes into the room. "Alisa where did you go all those years ago?"

"My mum died. That's why I left, Iz."

"Alisa?" Jane says in disbelief. "How come I didn't know You were back?"

"Because I got back 30 seconds ago." I am suddenly quite annoyed, by people asking me questions. I get it they missed me, I missed them too, but I don't deserve this questioning I have learned to hate talking, I can't remember the last time I had a conversation with someone other than Sophie.

"Alisa?" That's Steve. I haven't been called Alisa since Fury said it when he told me that my mum was dead.

"Alisa?" I think that's Bruce. Suddenly all I can hear is a chorus of 'Alisa's. That is when I faint upon the floor.

**A/N I'm really sorry for not updating in over a week but this chapter's the longest, I think. I started a new story: Nothing Will Ever Bring Us Back Together which will be getting a lot more regular updates than this, go check it out. Reviews?**


	11. Chapter 11

Who is my father?

Chapter Eleven

"Guys! What did you do to her? I step out of the room for ONE second and when I come back my daughter is on the floor. what. Did. YoU. DO?" That's my dad, coming to save me. I haven't showed them that I am awake yet, They have taken my pulse and done some other stuff.

"Nothing, Clint. She just fainted."

"Pepper, don't expect me to buy that." Someone moves closer to me and picks me up. As soon as he does, I know it's my dad. I may be twenty but I am still quite small.

"I'm taking her to my floor and if any of you set foot there, you will regret it." I feel him walking and once in the lift he says, "Ali? I know that you are awake. What happened?" I open my eyes but he doesn't set me down. That I am happy about.

"I get it they missed me, you missed me. I missed them too. A lot. They don't need to play my name like a broken record." I whisper.

"I get it Ali. They annoy me a lot too. And I'm sort of glad you fainted. It means that I can spend more time with my little girl." By this time we are at dad's bedroom.

"I would take you to your bedroom but I wrecked it after you left. I'm sorry." He sets me down on the bed but I immediately sit up.

"Dad, I am really, really sorry for leaving."

"I'm sorry I didn't get back after, or find you quicker."

"I don't think I can leave again." I say.

"Then don't." Dad replies.

"I have to dad. I have a job, a friend a life back in California. And she knows where I live and will come looking for me if I don't come in to work."

"Ali, you can not leave. I don't think I can survive anymore."

"Dad...It has not been easy for me either. Not at all."

"Alisa, my partner had just died and the one other person who meant, means, something to me was supposed to be waiting at home. I was so worried about you. I tried so hard to find you. The rest of them made me take time off because they thought you were dead. I spent that whole time looking for you. I missed you when you were gone, I missed you more than I could ever believe."

"I- I'm so s-sorry, Dad." I can't believe I am crying. "I thought it was the right thing t-to do."

"Don't cry Ali. It was the right thing to do. I just wish you had taken me with you. I missed watching my little girl grow up."

"I-I am sorry, dad. I thought of you every single day."

"Don't be sorry. I thought of you all the time, I do not think that I ever did stop thinking about you. There is no way I can let you go again."

"I do not think that there is any way I can go." He kisses my forehead.

"Go to sleep Alisa, baby. I know you're tired."

"What about you, dad? Where are you going to sleep? You are tired too." I get up completely forgetting what he said about destroying my room and step in there.

I turn on the light as dad says, "Ali don't-" My eyes are met with utter ruin. The bed is in splinters along with the wardrobe and dressing table. Clothes are thrown everywhere. Everything has been thrown everywhere. I step out and shut the door.

"So I can't sleep there. Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch."

"Alisa. You WILL sleep in my bed. I won't be able to sleep anyway."

"Are you sure, dad?"

"Yes now go to bed, Ali." Go to bed I do.

I didn't mean to sleep for three days.

"Dad?" I whisper having looked at the clock which says that I spent three days unconscious. I realize that I am still wearing my day clothes from three days ago. My hand slides to my back pocket and I pull out my phone. There are nine missed calls and about twenty-five texts, all from Sophie as she is the only person to have this number. I don't bother listening to or reading the messages, once I have checked that my dad is not around, I call her. She picks up after one ring.

"Lisa where have you been?" She says before I can even say hello.

"It is a long story but I'm at my dad's house."

"YOUR DAD?!" She shouts, "Where?"

"New York and I did meet him once, eight years ago."

"New York! That's cool. What are you doing with him?"

"Nothing actually. I got in fainted and then slept for three days. I think that he's at work."

"Lisa, four days ago you said that you didn't know who your dad was. Is he famous or something?"

"Sort of but-"

"Sort of! Lisa, who is your dad?"

"Ok, Soph, I'm going to tell you the story of my life. I have told you way to many lies. My mum left my dad when she found out she was pregnant. She moved to California and I was born. When I was twelve I called this guy, mum's old boss dad's current boss, and he took us to meet my father. We moved in with him and his mates and she went back to her job. Eight months later she died and my dad was at work so I packed up some stuff and ran away. It was on the news, me missing. And her death. Anyway twelve year old me moved back to California. I took enough money to last a while, then I got a job at that café when I was sixteen. I'm twenty now and I am sorry for telling so many lies but this is the truth. I'm twenty years old. My mum was the Black Widow and my dad is Hawkeye. I am Alisa Barton. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't but Lisa, how you have survived since twelve freakin' years old by yourself? But Hawkeye, he is my like hero... Why didn't you tell me?"

"Soph, you were, are, crushing on my dad."

"Oh well, yeah, When are you going to be back?"

"I don't know. Soon, I hope, but I think dad wants me to stay here forever."

"I gotta go, Lisa, but you better call me later or tomorrow."

"I will. Bye, Sophie."

"Bye Lisa." I can't believe what I have just done. It gets worse when I see my father standing in the doorway.

"Which one of your friends is crushing on me?" Dad asks, totally cool.

"You're not mad?" I whisper.

"Ali, I can't be angry with you. But please tell me that was a joke."

"Nope, my best friend is very obsessed with Hawkeye."

"Can I meet her? We have to go to LA anyway to get your stuff."

"Sure, let's go back to LA then." And after dad has packed a few bits and bobs, just like that, we go.


	12. Chapter 12

Who is my father?

Chapter Twelve

"Ali? We're here." My immediate thought is where the hell am I? and Who the hell is that? I open my eyes and see the rows of seats. Then I remember it's dad and we're on an aeroplane.

"I'm ok. Let's go home, dad." It's been a while since I've said that. The dad bit. We make it outside the airport and then I lead the way back home. We keep our weapons out, knowing what happened last time.

"I don't like it Ali. It doesn't seem right. It still smells like Tasha and it's where they found you." He says.

"I'll get some stuff, we can check in to a hotel and then go see Sophie, she probably, definitely, can't wait to meet you."

"Go grab some stuff then. I'll look up hotels and call Pepper. You text that friend of yours." I go upstairs and grab some clothes and other stuff I need. After I have found everything I need, I sit down on my bed and text Soph.

'Hey, I'm back in California with ny dad. Do you want to meet him?' I swear it's less than ten seconds before she replies,

'YES! HE'S HAWKEYE HOW COULD I NOT?!'

'When?'

'My house asap. My bro's gone out and won't be back until late.'

'Be there in half an hour'.´ I slide my phone in to the back pocket of my jeans and grab the bag. I jump down the stairs, two at a time, and then stop when I hear dad talking to Pepper.

"I know, Pepper. Alisa's with me. We'll be back soon. Probably."

"Clint, what if there's a mission, what if you get hurt, what if-"

"Pepper. We will both be perfectly ok. They've done the last few missions with out me, what's the difference? If I get hurt Alisa's got your and Fury's numbers. See you soon Pepper." He cuts her off and turns to face me. "Ready, Ali? I found a hotel, have you texted your friend?"

"Yeah, come on let's go." Then we left. Dad managed to pick a hotel not too far from the house, which was great because I have a really heavy bag. For a small person my clothes seem to weigh a ton.

"So, why we're you at that place?" I ask. That was something that I wanted to know since I had cleared my head in my three day slumber.

"Mission. Not meant to talk about it. Here we are." He answers robotically then refers to the big hotel building on our right. I stand aside as he checks in. Once we are given our room key card, we go up in the loft to the ninth floor. Three rooms down on the left, is room 9C. I swipe the card and push open the door. There is two single beds, a small ensuite bathroom, lamps chained to tables, a small TV, which I'm not sure will work, and for some strange reason, a trouser press. The walls are a drab cream, bedsheets and curtains a dull beige and carpet a faded chocolate brown. Dad dumps his bag in the closet in the corner and urges me to do the same. I do, taking out my phone.

"Lets go see Sophie." I say and we step back out of room, locking the door. Back down in the lift, across the lobby and back out into the empty street.

"just in case something, err, happens to me," He says, "Call James on this number. I would give you Steve's but he can't work his phone, Thor has crushed too many, Bruce would hulk out Tony's not the most understanding and Pepper's probably busy. Just in case." He said that like something bad was definitely going to happen. I give him my phone and he quickly types the number in. I guide him left and we arrive at Sophie's house. I calmly walk up the steps and ring the doorbell, as I have done many times before. Dad follows, which he has not done before. Sophie opens the door and invites us in, almost hyperventilating. It is all she can do to shut the door before screaming,

"OMG YOU'RE HAWKEYE!" Dad smirks, suggesting that he gets that reaction alot.

"Yes, I am." He tells her.

"You're, like my favourite Avenger!" He smirks again.

"Personally, I like Iz the most." I comment.

"Who's Iz?" Sophie asks, confused.

"Iron Girl but not." I reply and dad just goes with it.

"Why did you never tell me that your dad was Hawkeye?".She asks. It's a fairly reasonable question but I have no idea how to answer it.

"Err... I thought I might not be any more."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm technically dead. The police stopped looking for me about what? A year after I ran away."

"Yeah, and it took all the others to convince me not to go to the police station and kill them all for giving up."

"You ran away?"

"Yes, when I was twelve, just after my mum died."

"TWELVE! YOU WERE FREAKIN' TWELVE?! AND YOU LET HER GO!"

"NO! I would never have let her go. She heard that her mum died and just left, before I got home. I shouted at her too, I mean twelve Ali? I can't believe you made it to twenty." They both look at me waiting for my side of the argument. Suddenly the peeling light yellow wallpaper seems very interesting. They turn back to the Hawkeye thing.

"But your definitely Hawkeye? I mean I've loved you since forever and you were always this close." Sophie is now doubting me, and herself.

"Yes," He pulls out a bow from his pocket, compacted, and expands it. "I never go any where with out this. I don't know what else I can do to prove . it's me."

"I believe you." Then the door opens and a male voice says,

"Soph, we're back!"

"That's my dad. I'll just-"

Sophie is cut off by my dad walking in to the room and my dad shouting, "YOU!"

**A/N Thank you to Jo-Jo287 for all her help, with the plot in future chapters, and everything else. Also I realised that I have never done a disclaimer so here it is:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognisable.**

**Please review on who you think Clint's shouting at, or any other points that you want to pick up. See you next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

Who is my father?

Chapter Thirteen

"YOU!" Dad shouts really, really loudly.

"Yeah, that's my dad." Sophie says, almost shamefully, then looks from one man to the other, who are now staring at each other with hatred forming in both pairs of eyes.

"Well, well the famous Hawkeye... We meet again. How's your spider? It's been what? Eight years last week?" Sophie's dad teases.

Dad swallows, almost nervously. "Yes it was. But you should have known better than to kill one of the Avengers. _Avengers_. We _avenge_. Do you know what that means? It means to inflict harm in return for an injury or wrong done to oneself or another." Dad told me Fury had made them all memorize that definition just in case of moments like this. I don't think anyone else has used it before so it's good to know it comes in handy once in a while. Or just once. "'My spider' was special to all of us. You are going to go down mate, so say your last goodbyes." The look on his face suggests that he is strong, knows that he's going to win. But under that mask, I can see pain. He wants me to be safe. He wants to avenge my mother.

At this point, dad pulls out a knife, bow being useless at this short distance, as Sophie's dad pulls out a gun.

"Prepare to die, Hawkeye." He takes a shot but his eyes flicker over to Sophie and he misses. I pull Sophie out of the room, quickly following, to where her sister-in-law and nephew are waiting.

"I swear I didn't know." She tells me, her voice full of worry.

"That they would try to kill each other or that he killed my mum?" I ask in disbelief. This guy killed my mother. It's just starting to hit me.

"Both." There's no hesitation, no pause, and I know she's telling the truth.

"I believe you." I whisper, like she told my father earlier when she was having doubts about him being Hawkeye. She nods as I open the door to the where my dad and her dad are and peer in.

"Why'd you do it?" Dad asks. "Why not me, Steve or Tony? Or all of us? We were there the whole time. Thor and Bruce aren't exactly easy to kill."

"I did it because she was so precious to you. All of you, but particularly you. To them she was like their little sister, who they were supposed to protect, but they failed their duty. She'd run away and only just come back. They needed to get to know her again. To you, she was your wife, partner, mother to your daughter, all you had ever dreamed about. If I killed any of the others, sure you all would have lost it, but you would have all healed quicker too."

Dad then chucks a knife at him, which he slides to the left to avoid, he flings a bullet back. It almost catches dad on the shoulder but he dips just in time to only get his shirt a little ripped. I quickly shut the door before I am able to be hit and slide to the floor. Sophie tries to help me but I wave her away. She takes her family to the kitchen, as to not bother me. I don't know what inspired me to do this, it is inspired, but suddenly I am back on my feet, full of energy. I flip out my phone and call the number dad added earlier. It takes me a while to find it but I do. It was saved as Ryans, James instead of just James. But it's not like any of my other contacts work, I made them to make it look like I had friends whenever Sophie stole my phone. I ring it, only slightly annoyed at my dad.

Ring ring ... One ring.

Ring ring... Two rings.

Ring ring... Three rings.

It goes on like this until I get to ten rings. Then it goes to the bloody answer phone. This guy should have his phone with him at all times. S.H.I.E.L.D. uses Vodafone, if you wanted to know. "James," I say, with urgency, leaving a message, "Dad's fighting the guy who killed my mum. I need you to trace this call and come to me. He needs back up." I am about to cut off but a breathless voice comes to the phone.

"Sorry, I was just doing something for Fury. Who are you and what were you saying?"

"I'm Alisa, Hawkeye's daughter, remember? He's fighting the guy who killed my mum, I think. And needs help."

"What?" He asks and suddenly I know it's not James. Not his voice, not his manner, just not him. He seems to give some orders on the other end of the line, then turns his attention back to me.

"Who are you?" I ask, worried I might have called the wrong number and given out information to random people I though the number was made up for. Then I remember he said something about doing something for Fury, and know I am safe. From spilling their secrets at least.

"Your Barton's daughter? Don't worry I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm Phil, Phil Coulson." I have some strange feeling that I should know him.


	14. Chapter 14

Who is my father?

Chapter Fourteen

"My name is Phil, Phil Coulson." That feeling that I should know him won't go away. The way he says it, it's like I should know.

"I'm really sorry but I don't know who you are. Can you just take some S.H.I.E.L.D. guys, trace this call, kill the guy who killed my mum and get my dad out of there?"

"Ok." He says it like it's no big deal. Then he shouts some agents names (Agent May, Agent Ward, Agent Fitz, Agent Simmons and a girl named Skye if you are interested) and I can hear a quinjet firing up. "You said your name was Alisa, right?"

"Yes, please hurry." I am about to take the phone away from my ear when he says,

"Keep talking. 1, it will be good for you. 2, we still need to trace it. Fitz, Skye? You working on that? Alisa... It sounds Russian. Who was your mother?" I can tell he knew her personally, thinks it might be her and doesn't want to believe it.

"It is. And I think you knew her. The name was Natasha Romanoff." I feel really bad to deliver this news but if he did know her, it's best that he knows the truth.

"You are joking, right? Natasha? NO! Natasha is not dead." Denial. That's everyone's initial reaction.

"I'm sorry. Eight years last week. Did you know her?"

"Yes. Her and your dad were my best friends. Wait what? Barton and Romanoff had a kid? Fury had better pay up when we get back." He seems quite confused and then I realise something.

"You put bets on my birth? And err yeah... She left S.H.I.E.L.D. When she found out that she was pregnant though. I never met you when I met the others though, where have you been?"

"Sorry, a lot of betting goes on in S.H.I.E.L.D. I've been in Tahiti went off grid for quite a while. Don't tell you dad that I'm alive." He's supposed to be dead?

"You just said he was your best friend, why does he think you're dead? And why don't you want him to know that you are alive?"

"I'm... I'm supposed to be dead. I have a death certificate and everything." So he is supposed to be dead.

"Oh. Are you almost here?" I think he said it wouldn't take long.

"It's lucky we were in the California base. See you in two ticks." The line goes beep and for a second I feel alone. Then there's a knock on the door. I open it but I don't think I expected Phil Coulson to look like this. I see a shortish, balding man in a suit. Not what I expected at all. He moves his arm slightly so I can see the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on his top pocket.

"I'm Phil, Phil Coulson," He tells me, "These two are Agent May and Agent Ward. FitzSimmons and Skye are still on the jet." I let them in and point to the door which when opened will reveal what's left of dad and the other guy. Phil sends May and Ward in, leaving me alone with him in the hallway. Then he does something I do not expect. He hugs me. "He will be alright. He's Hawkeye." Phil murmurs.

When he lets go I pull away saying, "I'm sorry but I have no idea who you are. I know why you're here, what you do and stuff like that. But I don't trust people easily, so tell me why I should trust you."

"Alisa... I-I..." Suddenly the door bangs open and dad runs up to me and pulls me in to an embrace.

"Ali, your ok, right?" He asks.

"Dad, I'm fine. But your not." Where his stomach has connected with mine, on my t-shirt there is now a large circular patch of blood.

"I'm fine," I then pull the hem of his top up. I see a hole, just the right size for a bullet.

"Clint, you've been shot. You are not fine." That's Phil.

"Now I'm dying. I'll see Tasha in a sec. How have you been Phil? What's death like?" Dad asks. He must really believe that Coulson is dead.

"I don't know, I've never died." Phil taps his ear. "Simmons, we need a stretcher NOW!"

"I'm coming." I can faintly hear from the other end.

"Clint, you are not dead and you will not die for a long time. You have to be there for your daughter, because your the only one she has left. If you die, she'll have to live by herself, look after herself and never get to see you ever again." His speech would have been a lot more inspiring if I hadn't been living by myself for eight years. The door opens and two girls come in. Both have brown hair though one is much neater than the other's. Together, they are dragging a stretcher. I assume that it's Simmons and Skye.

"Got it Coulson. OMG IS THAT HAWKEYE!?" The one with slightly messier hair says.

"Calm down, Skye, stop fangirling. Yes, it is. Get him back up to the jet, and tell Fitz to take the bullet out and save him. You help Simmons."

"Sir, his vitals are failing-"

"And just remember, don't EVER tell me there's no way."

"We'll try." She says meekly, like she had heard that before and things had not turned out well. Together, they haul dad on to the stretcher and pushes him outside. By this point, I think he has lost consciousness.

"I'm going to go help Ward and May. You go and tell whoever's in there, that you are going, and it would probably be best to get out." I turn and head in to the kitchen, where Soph and co are.

"I'm going," I say robotically, "And it would probably be advisable to get out of here." I turn but before I can leave, Sophie replies,

"Thank you, Lisa. For everything and anything that you've done for me. I just want to say that I'm really going to miss you and I hope we meet again someday." I turn back and hug her.

"I'm going to miss you too. I want to meet again too. But it'll be dangerous. But for now goodbye. Thanks for holding me together all these years. Bye Sophie."

"Goodbye, Lisa." I turn and walk as fast as I can, before I can cry.

Once back in the hallway, I find only Coulson there. "Come on, quick. We need to get to a base which has better facilities than the jet. We've got the guy and are going to bring him back to S.H.I.E.L.D." I follow him. Once we are up in the air, he shows me a room which is sort of like a cabin, only wide enough for a bed and some small floor space.

"I'm going to leave you to your thoughts. I'll be outside if you need me." After he has left it hits me. I might lose my dad today. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. Then I do something that I haven't done for a long time. I flop down on the bed and cry until there are no more tears.

**A/N Yes, I am bringing Agents of SHIELD in to this. There shouldn't be spoilers for the episodes, just referrals to the characters and stuff. And I'm sorry that I haven't posted in ages. Hopefully the length makes up for that.**


	15. Chapter 15

Who is my father?

Chapter Fifteen

"Alisa? Alisa, we've landed." I look around but there is no one there. There's another knock on the door and I realise that Coulson must be on the other side. "Can I come in?"

"As long as dad's still alive." When he comes in I am relived.

"He's still alive," He says slowly and hesitantly, like there is still something wrong.

"But what?" There's always a but.

"But he's hurt, really bad. We think that he's going to have to stay in the hospital for weeks. So, who do you want to look after you? The tower's residents, Fury or me?" I shake my head, he has no idea.

"No one. I can live by myself. I survived eight years, who says I can't do it any more?" I choose my words carefully, knowing that he will probably freak out if he knows the truth.

"Me. You'll be beating yourself up everyday, saying that it's your fault. I-" I cut him off. There's no way I'm leaving dad. There's no point in him wasting his breath.

"I ran away to live by myself after my mum had just DIED! And it was all my fault. I already do beat myself up everyday, what's the point of doing it here?" I don't technically beat my self up, but I regret and think of what I could have had. I shouldn't have ran away and if I didn't, dad wouldn't have been shot.

"You RAN AWAY! Just after Natasha died?! Clint must have been killing himself." I guess I'm just going to have to tell him what really happened. And hope that he doesn't freak out.

"Probably was but it's not like he knew me that well." On second thoughts I'm going for the mysterious approach.

"What?" I can see that he's thoroughly confused.

"I told you my mum left S.H.I.E.L.D. When she found out that she was pregnant, on the phone, didn't I? We only came back about eight months before she died." On third thoughts the straight forward way.

"Now I'm really confused." I can see why.

"You need to ask someone who really knows what happened. I wasn't even born, how am I supposed go know what happened." Now the 'leave it to someone else who can explain better than me' approach.

"That's it then. You and I can jet off to New York, meet up with the Avengers and Fury and they can all tell me what happened." What have I got myself in for?

"Dad, too? Because I am not going without him." That much is certain.

"Possibly... not... He's not in a very stable condition. Do you want to see him?" Of course I do you idiot!

"Do I even have to answer that?" He leads me out of the room, through a few corridors, until we get to an office marked 'Skye'. The room is literally full of computers. The woman with dark brown hair is at a desk, facing away from us, typing.

"What do you want, Coulson?" She asks, obviously busy with something.

"I need a babysitter. See you in a few." He then shoves me in and shuts the door. The woman turns around and looks at me. Her face lights up.

"Now I have an excuse for not doing any work! Whatcha wanna do, kid?" I don't think that's the right approach to work.

"I'm not a kid. Please can you take me to see my dad!?" That is something I really want to do.

"Sure, kid," She taps her ear, "Clint Barton. Infirmary. Visitors." That doesn't make a lot of sense.

"I am twenty years old. Not a kid." Being called a kid really annoys me. I am not a goat and even though I am small, not a child.

"Whatever, kid." I growl as she grabs my hand and starts walking really fast. We soon get to a place in this massive plane which is labelled infirmary. She squirts some foam on to her hand and motions for me to do the same. I do as she puts her hand on to a sensor panel. It lights up green and the door opens. We step inside, me anxious, her excited. I can hear someone screaming down the hallway and I know it's him. My father.

"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER!" He roars as I take off running. Skye doesn't have the chance to stop me. "WHERE IS SHE?!" He shouts once again. Then I am outside his room. There are doctors, dressed in white lab coats, trying to sedate him. He is pushing them out of the way, causing havoc. I push open the door and everything seems to stop as he sees me.

"Ali? Are you ok?" I don't know what comes over me but instead of saying 'Yep I'm fine. But are you?' Like I planned, I break down.

Once I have got to the floor, crying, dad comes over and this time the doctors don't try to stop him. "You're not ok, are you? Don't worry though, I'm not ok either-"

"H-how is t-that s-supposed t-to make m-me n-not worry?" I choke, the statement is true, he just admitted to not being ok, then tells me not to worry.

"Good point. But I'm only not ok because your not." Not a lot is making sense to me today.

"Dad. You. Were. Shot."

"I've been shot before... But Tasha was always there to make it better... Will you make me better now?" I look up at him and with all the courage I can muster,

"I'll try," I whisper, "But you'll have to help me."

Finally Skye has caught up and enters the room. That woman really needs to know how to run in heels. She opens the door, rather loudly, and sees me and dad having a private moment.

"I'll just... Go... See FitzSimmons..." She says, awkwardly.

"Who's that and where are we?" Dad asks, standing up.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Girl named Skye. This Coulson guy told her to look after me while he went and did something."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. To the rescue once ag- Did you say Coulson?" I didn't mean to say that. Oops.

"Err... Yes. He told me not to tell you though because he's meant to be dead or something." The truthful approach.

"Ali, he is dead. And if he is alive, he won't be staying that way once I get my hands on him." I can see the glint in his eye and know he must have a grudge or something.

"Clint, don't kill me. It'll only make things worse." Coulson has appeared in the room, but he's in the shadows. We can both see him, I think. Dad runs over to him and punches him in the gut.

"That was for me," he whispers, "And this is for Tash." He punches him in the head, knocking him out. Then he runs and I follow. Not for very long though, he is too fast and seems to know his way around the jet, unlike me. I end up in a lab of some sort.

"What are you doing here?" A woman asks kindly. I recognise her from last night, she told Coulson that dad's vitals were failing and he told her that you should never tell him that there's no way. "I'm Jemma, Jemma Simmons, what is your name?"

"Alisa, Alisa Barton." I've never really introduced myself like that. Alisa Rushman, Lisa Rushson. Never Alisa Barton.

"Well hey then, Alisa. Welcome to mine and Fitz's lab. He's engineering-" Her slightly British accent is cut off by a tallish man.

"She's Bio-Chem. Hi, I'm Leo Fitz." He says with a slightly Scottish accent.

"Is Skye here? She said that she was going to see you." I ask, thinking that she was supposed to be looking after me.

"Knowing her she's probably with Ward-"

"LEO!" Simmons shouts. I get the impression that Fitz has said something similar about Skye and Ward being together. "Anyway, Alisa, have you seen Coulson? He was supposed to be meeting us."

"Knocked out in the medic bit," I reply, "And no, it wasn't me."

"Come on then, let's go get him." Simmons says. I hang back and she grabs my wrist, "Sorry, we have rules. No kids wandering around the base on their own."

"I'M NOT A KID! I'M TWENTY YEARS OLD!"

"Whatever, kid." Skye enters the room, with a man I assume is Ward.

"Told you, Jemma." Fitz whispers.

"Told her what? And who's the new girl?" The man asks.

"Nothing, nothing. This is Alisa. Alisa this is Grant, Grant Ward." Skye says.

"Have you seen Coulson?" Fitz replies.

"No. Where are your parents?" Ward inquires.

"That is a very good question." They both look at me and I gulp.

"My mum's dead. My dad's around." I mutter. I can physically see all of their eyes widening. "But I... Lived on my own since I was twelve." Then I duck and run before the shouting of 'TWELVE' can begin.

**A/N I hated this chapter. Sorry it was mostly script and not a lot of plot. I also got my finger trapped under a 34KG ikea box so my typing is going to slow down a lot. Reviews please?**


	16. Chapter 16

Who is my father?

Chapter Sixteen

While I am running, I stick to the shadows. No one follows me, but to start with I hear them calling out. I come across a room which seems to have sobs and low whispers coming from it.

"I'm so sorry Clint." Coulson has come round quickly. "I didn't want to lie to you, have Fury and Hill lie to you, but we had to."

"I get it, Phil. I'm not angry, that was just shock."

"Then why are you crying?" Dad is crying. He's Hawkeye isn't he? How can Hawkeye cry?

"Tash..." He couldn't finish.

_FLASHBACK: CLINT'S POV_

_It was just a normal Saturday, picking off some fail at an army which was trying to take over the world. But then it wasn't. It became the day everything changed._

_"Stark, you've got about five on your tail- make that two." I told Stark as I picked off three._

_"Good job, feathers." Stark could always be relied upon for his nicknames. Then Tasha's raspy voice came on._

_"Barton- get- down- here." She whispered. I swear she never normally sounded like that. I jumped off the building, on to one of the miniature aircraft the weird things were using. I scanned for her, and found her down one of the alleys. I jumped down._

_"Tash... Are you ok?" She removed her hand from over her chest, revealing a massive patch of blood. She took out her comm and I did the same. If Tasha was going to die, she wanted it to be private._

_"No, Barton. No I'm not ok." I sat down with her leaning against me._

_"Tash," I whispered. "I love you. I will always love you."_

_"I'm not going anywhere, Clint." She gasped, breathing becoming difficult. "Just going to pay an old friend a visit."_

_"Which friend is this may I ask?" Arching my eyebrow I asked._

_"Coulson. He will help me to fit in, protect me and help me protect you." I then moved my hand, finding her secret pocket. She had sewed it on herself, meaning that only her and I knew about it. I pulled out the small circular band and placed it on her finger. That was her token from Budapest._

_"Natasha Romanoff, I love you and I will always love you. I'll see you soon, though." I slid the ring on to her finger._

_"No, Clint. Do not kill yourself, or let yourself get killed. You have to be there, strong for our daughter, and for all the other Avengers. Promise me that, Clint." She was almost angry, but it was too much effort._

_"I promise." I whispered, staring in to her eyes. What had been, moments before, green eyes, sparkling with life, were now empty black pools of despair. I screamed, realisation forming. Then stopped and put my comm back in._

_"Tasha's hurt. I'm taking her back to base. You guys alright to take out the rest?" I asked, trying my hardest not to cry._

_"Legolas, we're coming. They're all gone." No no no. They can't see Tasha dead and me crying. They come around the corner and see. But they comfort and help me. That was the first time I had been in tears since... Since Tash left the first time. I was not ok and I doubt that I will ever be again. The team had never seen me cry, not like this and I don't doubt that it's something they won't forget._

_END OF FLASHBACK: BACK TO ALISA'S POV_

"She told me you would protect her, in the afterlife or whatever, just until I came along. Whose looking after her now? She died knowing you were dead and that you would help her survive the separation, from me from Ali. Knowing Tash, she's probably still looking for you, waiting, wondering. What if you had died? You both would have settled in fine, got along, watched over me and Ali. But no you're alive, Tash is probably turned back in to Natalia, Ali's been on her own all this time and I've almost died. More than once. Of you stayed dead, maybe you could have stopped her dying. But you can't fix this. And neither can I. Or anyone else. I don't know what to do." Then he bursts in to tears. I don't know where I've heard Natalia before, actually I do. That was her pre-S.H.I.E.L.D. name, a name she never wanted to go back to.

"There's someone here." Dad's head snaps up and I know he sees me. He smiles through his tears but doesn't ask me to come over, not just yet and I can tell that he's not going to while Coulson's there. He's still trying to process what dad has said. He basically said that he would rather Phil dead than Mum. It's true but he didn't need to say it like that. Then Coulson gets up and leaves.

"You need to go back to medical, Barton." He says harshly before walking out. After a quick look around, I run over to him.

"Please tell me you didn't hear all of that, Ali?" It's more of a question, like he knows I did. I slowly nod. "Sorry. I didn't- I did. I meant every word."

"So did he. You have to go back to the hospital." He gives me an 'I know' look.

"Look, I know you knew what it meant. It's true, though. I'm sorry." I don't know why he's sorry. At least not to me.

"You're not thinking straight. Come back to the hospital, now. And don't make me force you." I try to be firm, but seeing him hurt, I'm breaking down inside.

"Yes, miss." I hate his sarcasm sometimes. He gets up and stumbles. I make him drape an arm around me, to help him back.

"You really need to cut down on the pies." I mutter and to my surprise, he hears me.

"I'm sorry, Ali." He then tries to take his full weight again, only to be caught by Fitz coming out of his lab.

"Dude, you ok?" He asks before realising who it is. "Y-You're Hawkeye... OMG YOU'RE HAWKEYE!"

"Yes I know. Can you just help me get to the infirmary? Please?" He seems tired, like he would give anything to sleep.

"Sure, dude. Whatcha do?" They start walking and I quickly follow.

"Got shot yesterday and ran from the infirmary too early. Should have waited a few more days." I roll my eyes. Then we get back to the room dad was in earlier. "Thanks. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Nah, it's ok dude... Actually, do you know where Coulson is?" Fitz is hyperventilating still, but trying to play cool.

He gulps before telling Fitz, "No, sorry. But I don't think it would be too wise to find him right now. I might have angered him."

"How? He never gets angry unless someone's dying and you tell him there's no way you can save them or you touch one of his cars. Especially Lola." He seems to chuckle at a memory.

"I told him I wished he was dead."

"Oh... Maybe that too... I'll just be going then..." He turns and almost runs out.

"Why'd you have to do that to him? He was just trying to help you." I almost shout while the doctors force him to lie down and start to pump drugs in to him. He's out before I get an answer.

"Why was Fitz running away from here, crying? Fitz never cries. I've been looking for you everywhere. You can't just run from your problems. You have to talk to people." Skye seems to have appeared out of no where. I notice the last name of Fitz and decide that they're probably not that close. And her introducing Ward as Grant makes me suspicious.

"Just my dad being an idiot. I'm sorry for running, but you sound like you speak from experience?" It's more of a question, you can't assume with there people.

"Yeah, I do. I talked to Coulson and he sorted me out." I burst in to tears. "What did I do? I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"M-my idiotic d-dad s-said t-that if C-Coulson w-was d-dead, m-my m-mum w-would s-still b-be alive."

"It's ok, sweetie." She puts an arm around my shoulders and leads me somewhere. I don't know where, but it's a nice place, plush seats are arranged around a low glass coffee table. She gently pushes me down on to a beige one, as she sits on the next one, also beige. They all are. "Alisa, from now on I am your counsellor. You are going to come to me with all your worries, woes and anything in general. It will be confidential unless you want it not to be or I need to tell someone, but I'll tell you first. Ok?"

"No, sorry. I might come in the distant future, but not the near. Bye Skye." I get up and leave, going back to the place I spent last night. It's a wonder I'm able to find it.


	17. Chapter 17

Who is my father?

Chapter Seventeen

I don't know how or when I fell asleep but I do know that I did. When I wake up, the first thing that I see is that the bolt is slid across the door, I didn't even know there was one. Then I fully open my eyes, taking in my surroundings. This isn't the room I ran away from Skye in to. This isn't any room I know, but I guess there is still a lot of rooms for me to explore on this plane. "Hey, Ali." Dad says softly and I realise that it's just me and him. That's good, I think I need to talk to him private. "I know you're wondering where we are, what's going on and why I'm not in the infirmary. I promise I was actually let out this morning, as long as I don't do anything too strenuous. We're on the helicarrier, with the director and Phil amongst others. No I haven't actually seen him, I've been told that. I think you're new friends are here too. We're going back to the tower." I process his words and groan. Sure, I haven't seen any of the Tower's residents for about a week (I haven't been counting the days) and don't get me wrong, it would be nice to see them, but last time they made me faint. And the time before that I ran away for eight years. I look up at him an he says, "I said that we we're going back to the tower, not that we had to see anyone and everyone in it."

"You promise?" I ask wondering how we are going to get in, especially with J.A.R.V.I.S.

"Of course, unless you want to see them. I can get Jarv to do lockdown on our floor... You don't mind coming in through the vents do you? I normally do so that I can be alone after missions." I really couldn't care less. If dad uses the vents they must be ok. I raise an eyebrow asking him if he really thinks I care about going in another way if it means avoiding the others. He smiles and mutters something about me being his mini Hawkeye. I like high places, you can see more and for me, with more clarity. I think I should probably get my eyes tested for longsightedness. I also hate high places, what if the roof collapsed? You would be right underneath it. What if you can't get down? I think that it's my dad's side of me that likes them, mum's side which doesn't.

"Dad?" I whisper, quite nervously. "The vents are ok to use, aren't they?"

"Yeah, of course. I use them quite a bit, not only when I'm coming back from missions but to get around the tower, unnoticed." He replies, seeming to know how I feel.

"But when was the last time you used them? It has to be more than nine months ago. No one else will have used them, what if they cave in or something?"

"They won't. Stark will have made sure they're still ok, because he knows that I'll kill him if they aren't." I smile, knowing this is true, that he will kill Stark, but there is still some doubt in my mind. I leave it, knowing nothing will come good in me disagreeing with him. I lift my head and let my eyes roam around the room. There is a smallish bed, which I am sitting on, a desk, chair, several filing cabinets, two more chairs and a massive cupboard which as the door is half open, I see is filled with sheets of paper, Manila envelopes and binder folders. I decide it must be some kind of office. When I read the name tag on the desk, I am slightly worried.

"Are we... supposed to be in here?" I ask, knowing that if the office owner comes in, we are going to be in a hell of a load of trouble.

"Not exactly, no." He pauses. There's a knock on the door, to which he hisses.

"AC? Open up. I need to give the file in and I still have some other stuff to do." I think that's Skye, but I know that Coulson's not here. I am about to reply but before I can, dad does.

"Skye, right? Coulson's not here." He says it coldly yet calmly, subtly telling her to go away.

"Yeah, I'm Skye. Who are you? Can you open this damned door so we can speak face to face?" Skye doesn't take the hint, she seems oblivious.

"No I can't. Go away." I then hear a jangling of keys and realise that Skye must have the key. I check I'm dressed ok, which I am, and run a hand through my hair. It's a lost cause when ten seconds later the lock clicks. Dad dives under the desk, not wanting Skye to see him.

"Oh, it's you." She says offhandedly.

"Did you not want to see me?" I pretend to pout and she falls for it, offering me a hug.

"No, I just thought it was a man. Have, you seen Coulson, kid?" I refuse to answer her. "I'm sorry, kid." I still refuse to answer her. "What did I do?" I raise an eyebrow and she realises. "Sorry k-. Have you seen Coulson? I really do need to give this report to him."

"No, sorry. I woke up here a few minutes ago and I just have no idea where I am." I try to look as innocent as possible which, of course, works.

"Come on then, let's go find him together. There is still that rule about no k- Under 21s going around on their own on base." She grabs my hand and leads me away, as I turn to look back at the desk dad is under. Or not. I see him going in to a vent and I know that he is going to follow us.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N 5,000 views. I cannot express my happiness and thanks. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

Who is my father?

Chapter Eighteen

The third time Skye turns around, I begin to think that she's paranoid. There was no sound, no movement, no nothing. Maybe she has superhuman ears or something. I can't tell where she's taking me, this jet is so big. Or helicarrier if we're in that now. The fourth time I can't blame her for being paranoid because I hear it too. It's like a metal clank and it seems to come from above. I guess it must be dad, moving around in the vents.

Skye grabs my wrist as she takes a sharp left. We seem to be in a sort of common room, where Fitz, Simmons and Ward are. As we walk in, Ward is the only one who says hello, and that's only to Skye. Fitz is trying to work out something on a tablet of some sort and Simmons is looking over his shoulder, every now and then pointing out something which isn't right. By the way his jaw is clenched I can tell he isn't enjoying being told that he is wrong. But he always changes what she says anyway. Ward was just sitting down, with a glass of water until we came in.

Then he got up, came over to Skye and asked if she was alright. She says she is though I can't understand why he is worried about her. She asks everyone if they had seen Coulson as he walks in, arguing about something which seems irrelevant with Agent May. Skye grabs her report and hands it to him. He thanks her and goes off to file it. As he walks out, I follow him and find the nearest hatch to open the vents. I tug on it and to my surprise it opens. I thought it would be harder than that.

Then I see dad on the other side an realise that he must have opened it. "Well done on escaping, Ali," he tells me, "What do you want to do now?"

"Can we go and spy on them?" I ask, "I want to see what they do when they realise that I'm gone." Dad smiles and agrees. We make our way back and he shows me a small hole in the vent which I can see in to the common room type area. Fitz is still on his tablet even though Simmons has moved to get some water. Skye has sat down next to Ward and I think they are talking. May is standing up and overseeing the situation.

Suddenly, Skye's hand flies to her mouth. "Where's Alisa? I was supposed to be looking after her?" She shouts.

"Calm down, Skye, we'll find her." Ward says.

"You mean the little girl? She left just after Coulson. I have no idea where she went." May says. I guess my escape didn't go entirely unnoticed.

"Why didn't you say?! Oh shoot. I am so done for." Skye puts her head in her hands.

"I just thought that she was some rookie which hadn't meant to come here." May replies.

I sort of feel bad for Skye but it's kind of funny to see her freaking out. "I've failed my one duty that I was given. Well I had two but I completed one and this is my other one. No! What if-" Skye is pacing, and getting very worked up.

"Skye. Calm. Down." Fitz says standing up.

"We'll help you look." Simmons adds.

"Me too." May and Ward say together.

"Now where would she be?" Ward says.

"Fitz and I can check the labs-" Simmons begins.

"I'll do the training rooms. All meet back here in thirty minutes." May says and leaves, FitzSimmons following her.

"We can do the offices and corridors, Skye, come on." Ward says, grabbing her hand. They walk out and I smile at dad and he smiles back.

"I guess we wait here for half an hour then." He smiles and I laugh.

"That's quite a good plan. Though if she faints I may have to accidentally find her." I tell him and he agrees.

Half an hour later, they are all back, except Skye and Ward, without me. They are all looking slightly worried, like they know Skye is going to have a major freak out. Then the door opens. It's Ward, followed by Skye.

"No one found her did they?" She asks. By everyone's downcast eyes and sheepish expressions, Skye can tell they haven't. "Coulson is going to kill me, and then her dad and then Fury and then-"

"Skye breathe. Who is her dad anyway?" Fitz asks, as only Skye and Simmons know, the others all look at her expectantly too.

"Her dad is Hawkeye... And I've lost her. I am so dead." The others all looked at her, shocked and began to ask her if she was sure. Simmons backed her up, remembering what happened a few days previously.

"I hate to say it Skye but, you're dead. I'll come to your funeral though." May said. Skye starts pacing again muttering about how much she is dead. After about two minutes of pacing, she runs in to the bathroom and Simmons follows her. I then look at dad and we silently agree that it's probably best for me to reappear. I silently clamber back down to the hatch and after checking it's clear, I climb out. I have the route back to the common area memorized so find it relatively quickly. The door is open a jar so I slip in. When I get in there, no one notices, still focused on the bathroom door. Now only Skye and Ward are missing. I have no idea how to best announce my self, so I don't.

"What was wrong with her, Jemma?" Fitz asks.

"I think she threw up but she wouldn't tell me anything, just said that she wanted Ward." Simmons replies, her wind wandering.

"Do you believe me yet?" He asks. When Simmons doesn't comment I know that she thinks it's true, as do I.

Less than thirty seconds later, Ward comes out of the bathroom, running a hand through his hair. "We have to find her. She's not going to be the nearest bit to ok until the little girl is found." Then he turns to the right a little bit and sees me. "YOU!" He shouts and marches over to me.

"What have I done?" I whisper as he grabs me. I think he means to hit me or something for freaking out Skye but we begin to spar. Since there is no mat or anything, I'm especially careful. He aims a punch to my stomach, which I dodge but grab his hand and twist his arm. He pulls free and grabs my my arm and twists it behind my back. I kick him in in the male parts, forcing him to release me. He jumps on top of me but I am ready, and pin him down. He rolls over and I roll back, making myself on top. After ten seconds, I ask him if he he admits defeat. He sheepishly says he does and I get off. Fitz gives a low wolf whistle.

"Last person to beat Ward was... No one... He has the third best marks to Barton and Romanoff and they've never sparred with him." I don't mean to start crying but I do. They all soon at me and I run in to the bathroom before I remember that Skye's in there. As I get in to a stall, I hear a small voice say, "Alisa?"


End file.
